Lincoln Electric Company: Case Analysis Of The Lincoln Electric Company

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The largest manufacturer of welding machines and electrodes is the Lincoln Electric Company. Founded in 1895, it employed in 1989, 2400 employees and had 40% of the market share. This company is successful and has an incentive management plan which is considered “a model for achieving high worker productivity” (Sharplin, 1989, 1). I will be analyzing the case study by Sharplin in this essay.
John C. Lincoln, inventor and engineer, set the foundation for this company, but it was his younger brother James F. Lincoln who improved its financial condition. In 1914, James became the General Manager and Vice-President, while John held the position of President with little interest in management.
The Advisory Board, which is formed of representatives elected by employees, was the first managerial decision that James took. The purpose of the Advisory Board was to advise James on company operations. It met with the executive officer twice a month since that time. “This was one of the first innovative personnel policies that have, over the years, distinguished” this company from its competitors. (Sharplin, 1989, 2).
The organizational culture at Lincoln Electric is a combination of several cultures especially the people-oriented, team-oriented, and the outcome-oriented cultures. The people oriented–culture which puts emphasis on fairness, supportiveness, and the respect of individual rights, is clearly reflected on page 4 (Sharplin, 1989, 4)., (i.e.: “There must be complete honesty

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